In order to make it possible to economize fuel and to reduce the noise and pollution generated by the operation of jet engines on the ground, proposals have been made to move an aircraft while on an airfield without using its propulsion engines, by motorizing the wheels of the aircraft. In that respect, various proposals have been made. In particular, proposals have been made to motorize the wheels of the aircraft by means of a motor that is placed directly in the rim of the wheel. However, for wheels of a main undercarriage that are fitted with brakes, the space inside the rim is generally occupied entirely by the brake, in such a manner that that arrangement cannot be envisaged.
Proposals have been made to leave the torque tube of the brake free to rotate on the axle carrying the wheel and to drive it in rotation by means of an electric motor. In order to rotate the wheel, it is desirable to secure the wheel to the torque tube, by actuating the corresponding brake. However, during braking, the electric motor must hold the torque tube stationary by countering the braking torque generated by the disks, and must therefore be dimensioned accordingly. That arrangement complicates the brake a great deal.